Namárië
by That Tath
Summary: Post RotK. Aragorn, Arwen, Legolas, and the twins spend some time in Rivendell after their parents have sailed. Each one hides their pain at the thought of facing the truth, but realizes that all they need is someone to understand how they feel.
1. Goodbye Once More

**Disclaimer: Don't own any of it. **

Aragorn sat on one of the elaborately covered benches in Rivendell. He had been back here for many months with Legolas, Arwen, and the twins, yet while he had acted like his heart healed, he had merely been suppressing his pain. Now, on the eve of their departure, he had to say goodbye, one last time. He smiled slightly, remembering one of his past conversations with his father.

'"_I will never leave you Estel." Elrond said, his arms reaching around his adopted son. "I will always be with you."_

"_But we will never meet again after you sail." Aragorn whispered. "We'll say goodbye and you'll leave me. You and my brothers have an opportunity for a life away from pain and sorrow, yet I am cursed to stay here and die, leaving those I love behind!"_

_Elrond looked at him. "Yes, we will probably never meet again." Elrond said. "But that doesn't mean I will leave you. You will always be with me, Estel, always."_

"_Oh Ada!"'_

"Oh Ada," Aragorn whispered once more. "I miss you."

A soft breeze from the sea blew through the deserted courtyard, gently caressing the king's face. He closed his eyes, imagining it was his father, gently comforting him once more. "I love you Ada." He whispered to the wind. "Namárië."

XXXXX

Elrond stood on the shores of Valinor, gazing over the sea. He had been happy here. Then truth started to sink in. Estel and Arwen never coming home again and whether he would see the twins again was still debatable. He sighed. He missed all his children right now. He sank down on a nearby bench and smiled slightly, remembering one of the many times he had discussed Aragorn's fate with him.

'"_Yes, we will probably never meet again. But that doesn't mean I will leave you. You will always be with me, Estel, always.'"_

Elrond smiled, knowing that they would never truly be gone from him. A soft breeze from the sea blew along the empty shore, gently caressing his face. He closed his eyes, imagining it was Estel, talking to him once more. On the wind, he heard a voice, Estel's voice. _I love you Ada. Namárië. _Elrond smiled. "Namárië," he whispered to the breeze. "Namárië."

**Ok, yeah it seems like it cuts off here, but there will be more chapters coming, I promise. **


	2. I Miss Him Too

"What are you doing here?" A voice behind Aragorn asked. The king turned around to face his wife.

"Nothing, why should I be doing anything?" He replied, standing up and walking over to her. "I was just looking at the lovely scenery from this bench." Arwen raised and eyebrow and looked around Aragorn. The "lovely scenery" was blocked by the numerous vines and weeds that had started to creep into Rivendell once the gardeners left. Arwen looked at Aragorn as if to say _Am I supposed to believe that you thought _this_ was 'lovely scenery'? _

Aragorn sighed. "I was... I mean, I just had to..." he couldn't find the right words to describe what he was doing. It was almost like a combination of saying goodbye, letting go, moving on, and facing the truth.

Arwen, however, wasn't fooled. "You were saying goodbye to him, weren't you?" she asked, recognizing the look on his face. It was the same look he had the last time they saw Lord Elrond, the last time he tried to say goodbye.

Aragorn nodded. "I'm sorry, I mean, he was your father... maybe we shouldn't talk about it." he finished lamely.

Arwen shook her head and sat down on the bench, pulling him down next to her. "I want to talk about it." she whispered. "I miss him too." She paused though, not quite sure how to begin. They sat there in silence for awhile, each one lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Aragorn spoke up again.

"When we were in Rohan, after the wedding, you and Elrond went off somewhere for the day, I'm assuming to say goodbye. What did you talk about?"

Arwen looked across the garden, not sure of what to say. Parts of their goodbye were forgotten, lost in a desperate attempt to hide her pain. How could she describe her last moments alone with her father? How could she try to put her pain into words? Finally, she spoke up, her voice no louder than a whisper. "We did say goodbye. I guess the first thing I remember about our parting was the silence. For the longest time, neither of us talked to the other. I guess we were both unsure of how to proceed. Saying goodbye for a trip was one thing. Saying goodbye for the rest of our lives, now that is very hard to do." Arwen paused, unsure how to describe their actual conversation. She took a deep breath, and continued softly. "We finally did talk to each other. I'm afraid there were many bitter words at first. It took us awhile before we settled anything."

Aragorn could tell that the rest of it would stay a secret for eternity. He put his arm around Arwen and she leaned against him, each one taking comfort in the other. A lone tear slid down Arwen's face. Aragorn brushed it away. "What's wrong my love?" he asked softly, turning to face her. "Was it something...?"

Arwen shook her head. "No, it wasn't your fault, she whispered. "I was just remembering that last conversation with my father." Arwen sighed, and leaned against Aragorn again, loosing herself in her memories once more.

_Arwen sat down on a boulder, resting a moment to regain her breath. She wasn't quite used to being mortal yet, not familiar with her everything her choice came with. Elrond saw she had stopped and walked back to her. "Are you all right?" he asked, sitting down on the rock next to her. _

_Arwen looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm alright; I guess I'm just not quite familiar with mortality yet. No Ada, I don't regret this." she said, stopping him from questioning her judgment once more. _

_Elrond shook his head. "That may be so, but do you think I'm okay with your decision?" He stood up and looked down at his daughter. "I don't want to lose you Arwen..." _

_"Ada, this is my choice. If I leave him now, I will regret it forever." Arwen repeated the words she had said time and time again. _

_"I'm going to regret letting you marry him for an eternity!" Elrond said. "Arwen, tell me, is there anything that could have been done, anything to prevent this...?"_

_"I have chosen the fate of Luthien, both the sweet and the bitter. Nothing could stop her love for Beren, nothing can stop my love for Aragorn." she replied. "Ada, don't dwell on what could have been. Please, just accept my choice."_

_Elrond sighed and looked down at his daughter. "I always have accepted it." he said. "But that doesn't mean I don't wish it was different."_

Arwen turned towards her husband. "I wish that last conversation with Ada was different. I wish he knew how much I miss him now, how much I'm sorry for how our last time together ended..."

Aragorn smiled at her. "I think he knows." he said, a small breeze blowing through the courtyard. "I think he knows."

XXXXX

Across the Sea, Elrond sighed. His thoughts of Aragorn had awoken the memory of his last conversation with Arwen. He wished now that the conversation had been different, that he hadn't been so harsh on her. He wished so many things were different.

"Is something wrong?" A voice behind him asked.

Elrond turned around and smiled at his wife. "No, nothing. I was just... thinking." he said.

Celebrian walked over towards him. "I know that look on your face." she said. "Something _is_ wrong. Care to share?"

Elrond sighed again. "I was just thinking about Arwen." he said. "I'm afraid I was never really alright with her decision to become mortal. I guess I'm just regretting it now harsh I was to her about it. I want to convince myself that she knows I didn't mean it, but I'm not sure that she knows."

Celebrian smiled at him. "It's Arwen; she knows you still love her. I'm sure she knows." she said. "I'm sure she knows."


	3. What About Naneths?

**Disclaimer: If you think I own anything, you are insane. None of it is mine! cries**

Aragorn and Arwen sat in silence for quite awhile, each lost in their own memories and thoughts. They didn't notice the person standing behind them, but when they started talking, the two of them jumped at the voice and turned around.

"Well, well, what are you two lovebirds doing?" Elladan was saying.

Elrohir joined him in the garden. "Oh no El, they have that look on their face. I don't think we wan to know what they were doing..." he said, jumping back to avoid being smacked by his sister.

"We weren't doing anything like that!" Arwen protested, trying not to laugh.

Elladan however, didn't have that kind of restraint and burst out laughing at his twins comment. "So what were you two doing then?" he asked, sitting down next to his sister. "Come on, enlighten us."

Arwen looked at Aragorn, silently asking if she should tell. Aragorn shrugged, as if to say _Why not? _Arwen sighed. "Alright, if you must know we were talking about goodbyes."

Elrohir frowned. "Goodbyes... like when you two had to say goodbye before Aragorn went with the Fellowship or goodbyes that you said before you came here...?"

Aragorn shook his head. "No, like the sad goodbyes you tell someone when you won't see them again."

"The ones that will last a lifetime that you can't take back." Arwen added softly.

"Ah." Elladan and Elrohir said, suddenly understanding what they were talking about. "And what goodbyes were you retelling to each other?" they asked.

"The ones we had to say to Ada." Arwen replied.

Elrohir sat down next to his twin. "Care to share?" he asked. "You tell us yours and we'll tell you ours."

Aragorn and Arwen agreed to this and began retelling their stories. When they were done, the twins quickly told about their goodbyes to their father at the havens.

"Ours wasn't as bad as yours though." Elladan added when they were done. "Because we know that we'll join him one day."

"You know, you've been talking about goodbyes to Elrond, but what about Naneths?" A voice said. The four of them jumped and looked around, trying to find the source of that voice.

With a small laugh, Legolas jumped down from the tree behind them. The four sitting on the bench glared at him. "How long have you been listening up there?" Aragorn asked.

"Since the twins came out." he replied, sitting on the back of the bench.

"Oh good, I don't have to repeat anything then!" Aragorn said, looking extremely relieved. The others laughed and Legolas hit him lightly on the head.

"So, Legolas, what were you saying?" Elladan asked after they had all calmed down.

"I was just wondering why you seemed to be avoiding talking about Celebrian." He said. "Tell us about your goodbyes with her, and I'll tell you about saying goodbye to my Naneth." The twins and Arwen looked at each other, not quite sure if they were ready to share those last, painful goodbyes with them.

Finally, Elladan sighed. "I will tell you about it, if you wish to hear." Legolas and Aragorn nodded, neither of them ever having heard the complete story.

"Well, it all really started months after we brought her back." Elladan explained. "She'd been getting quieter and quieter. Well, she was never really herself since we found her, but we were starting to get worried."

"Ada tried to get her to tell him what was wrong, but she refused to talk to him." Elrohir added.

"Until she told us that she was leaving for the havens tomorrow one day at breakfast." Arwen said softly. "We were of coursed shocked, and tried to talk her out of it. But her mind was set. She wasn't staying in Middle Earth anymore. We left for Mithlond the next day."

None of them talked for a long time. Finally, Arwen spoke again. "Sorry, but it's hard to talk about it still." The twins nodded.

"You don't have to finish if you don't want to." Legolas said, now sorry that he brought it up.

Elrohir shook his head. "No, it's good for us to talk about it." he said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "It took us several weeks to get there. Once we arrived, we found out that the next ship was sailing in a few minutes. Our goodbyes were..." He paused, not sure how to explain it.

"Rushed?" Arwen supplied.

"Painful?" Elladan added.

Elrohir smiled at his siblings. "Both." he said. "I... I honestly do not remember much of what was said. Most of it was wishes that she would finally find peace and promises that one day we would sail and join her. Then, she was gone."

Aragorn and Legolas were silent, not quite sure what to say after hearing the story. They didn't have to talk though, because before long, Elladan broke the silence.

"Didn't you promise us a story Legolas?"

**A/N: Ack, I had to end this earlier than I wanted, I didn't want it getting too long. I was ignoring this for too long, it's been –checks story- ACK! Over three weeks since I've updated this! I promise I'll try to be better in updating in the future!**


	4. I Don't Remember

**Disclaimer: Ok, you know this by now, but I don't own anything!**

**A/N: I couldn't figure out what Legolas's mother's name was, so I picked a random name from ****here**** (Galedlothia). Also, Legolas is really young in this, about the equivalent of 5 or so. I believe at that point, the forest was still called Greenwood the Great, which is the name I use in this, but please, correct me if I'm wrong...**

Legolas chuckled. "So I did." He sighed. "Although I'm afraid I don't remember much anymore..."

"That's alright." Aragorn said, curious to hear his tale. "What do you remember?"

"I remember..."

_It was a sunny day in Greenwood the Great, yet for some reason, everyone seemed to be sad. The young prince didn't understand why though. He thought today was going to be a perfect day. _

_He was sitting outside the stables, watching the elves leading horses past. It wasn't exactly the most fun thing he could be doing, but there was nothing else to do. He watched several horses leave the stables when he heard a voice say, "Lady Galedlothia needs her horse now." _

_That's odd. Legolas thought. Why would Naneth want her horse? Soon after, an elf came out leading the horse. Legolas followed them to the palace gates. _

_"Ah, there you are!" Thranduil l said, spying his son. "I was just going to look for you!" Although he tried not to show it, Legolas could tell something was wrong. _

_"Why does Naneth need her horse?" Legolas asked. "Is she going somewhere?" _

_"Yes, she's going somewhere." Thranduil said evasively. "But we can't go with her, not now." _

_"Why not?" His son asked, getting a bit confused. "I don't want Naneth to leave!" _

_"Oh, tithen las." Galedlothia said, hugging her son. "You'll see me again one day. But you have to stay here now and make sure your puppies don't get into too much trouble." Legolas laughed, remembering how the maids had threatened to quit if they didn't stop the puppies from tracking in mud all the time. "Namárië tithen las." _

_Legolas gave his Naneth a hug. "Namárië Naneth." He said, trying not to cry. He didn't know where his mother was going, but he realized she wasn't going to be coming back. _

_Legolas stood next to the gates long after everyone else had left and his mother had ridden away, staring down the road..._

No one said anything once Legolas had finished his tale. Arwen got up and went to sit next to her friend, giving him a small hug. "Do you know why she sailed?" She asked softly.

Legolas shook his head. "No, that's all I remember. My Ada never told me, and now, well, I guess I'm not going to find out until I join them." Arwen nodded and didn't press the matter.

Elladan frowned. "Wait, Legolas, you said "them". I'm assuming you mean your mother, but who else were you talking about?" Legolas froze and didn't respond.

"Legolas," Elrohir whispered. "When? When did Thranduil sail?"

**Oooo, a cliffy, I'm so evil! ) Unfortunately for you, you don't get to find out what happens yet! Remember, reviews feed my muse, flames used to roast chicken. **


	5. He Left

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I wish it was mine.**

**A/N: Ok, I couldn't figure out when Thranduil sailed, but this story is taking place in the early years of the Fourth Age, so for the purposes of my little fic, Thranduil sailed a few months before this story takes place.**

Legolas didn't say anything. He looked at the ground, ignoring the question. Finally, he answered. "He sailed a few months ago." He whispered. "With the elves from the forest." Everyone was silent, knowing that his father and friends sailing at once must have hurt him a lot.

"How long have you known?" Aragorn asked.

"Not too long." Legolas said, frowning. "I visited my home for a month before coming here and I was told when I arrived there. I had one month to say goodbye to everybody and everything."

"Everything?" Elladan asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Legolas nodded. "I'm not going to return there again." He said. "I... I stayed for a few days after everyone left. It was... empty. There's nothing there for me anymore, only painful memories. I'm not going to return there."

"Ah." Elladan said quietly, but didn't say anything else.

Legolas continued talking. "That was probably one of the worst visits there." He smiled a bit. "I had just entered my father's study when he told me the news. It was... a shock, to say the least. It was at that point that I started saying my goodbyes. It was depressing, having to say goodbye to everything I knew and loved. The month went by too fast. In no time, they were all leaving."

"Did you ride with them for part of the way?" Elrohir asked. "Or did you stay?"

"I stayed." Legolas said. "I had already said my goodbyes to them. I felt like I needed to be in the forest, at least for a little bit. But it was empty. Everything was abnormally quiet, the palace was empty, there was no one left. I was starting to drive me crazy being there. That's when I rode here, knowing that you would still be here." He laughed softly. "You know, talking has helped me." He looked at his friends. "Thank you for listening."

Aragorn shrugged. "That's what friends are for."

XXXXX

Elrond and Celebrian were deep in discussion about their children, remembering fond times and talking about the goodbyes they both had to say, when they heard familiar voices approaching.

"You shouldn't have sprung it on him like that!" Galedlothia chided. "Valar knows how he reacted to it!"

Thranduil looked slightly guilty. "Well he didn't seem terribly surprised or upset by it!" He shot back.

Galedlothia rolled her eyes. "Since when could we tell what he was thinking?" She asked. "He hides his feelings from the world."

"Sounds like a familiar conversation." Elrond whispered to his wife. Celebrian smiled, remembering similar arguments they had in the past.

Galedlothia jumped at the sound of Elrond's voice and spun around. "Oh, it's just you Elrond." She smiled. "Hello Celebrian, I didn't see you two there."

Celebrian laughed. "Hello Galedlothia." She said. "My husband was just commenting about how familiar your conversation seemed to be. We too have had the same arguments, many times in fact."

Thranduil smiled. "Really?" He asked. "Care to tell us about it...?"

Elrond laughed and the four of them walked off, trading stories about past arguments, painful goodbyes, and fond times. They walked along the shore, remembering their lives in Middle Earth, their children that would join them, and those who wouldn't come at all. As they walked, they remembered.

And they were glad.

**THE END**

**-sob- Yes, it's over now. Well, except for an epilogue... :'( **


	6. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Not mine:-D**

The five friends sat in a comfortable silence, all of their tales having been told. No one really felt like talking much anymore, now that their stories were out in the open. After a few minutes, Arwen laugh quietly.

"You know Legolas, I think you're right." She remarked. "I mean, I'm glad that everyone was kind enough to listen to my ramblings." She laughed softly. "You know, this is the first time I've ever talked about the goodbyes I had to say to Ada and Naneth to anyone... it was always too painful to think about."

Elrohir nodded. "It was the same for me. I didn't talk about it anyone, well, except for Elladan."

"I feel so honored." Elladan mumbled.

Aragorn laughed. "You're impossible." He said, hitting him lightly on the arm.

Elrohir ignored them continued. "I always thought that no one would understand how I felt; that they would listen, but not really realize how much I was hurting."

Aragorn laughed. "It was the same for me. Now I feel silly, not telling anyone."

"Me too." Legolas admitted. "To think I might have felt at least a bit better about losing my Naneth, if only I would've talked to someone about it." He smiled. "I think I may have to actually visit my home again."

Elladan stared at him. "Oh, really?" He asked, trying not to laugh. "Did we really have such an effect on you?"

Everyone laughed and Legolas lightly hit Elladan on the head. "Don't flatter yourself." He said, trying to stop laughing. "Although I guess I do have to thank you. If you hadn't been willing to listen I would've avoided my home for the rest of my time here..."

Aragorn turned towards his wife. "Arwen," he said. "I think I'm ready to return to Gondor." He said.

Arwen smiled. "Me too." She broke into a huge smile. "Although I'm afraid we won't find such nice people to talk to in Minas Tirith..."

Everyone laughed again and the five friends embraces, going their separate ways to get ready to leave, each one leaving the garden with a lighter heart.

XXXXX

In the Undying Lands Elrond, Celebrian, Thranduil, and Galedlothia also sat in silence. A soft wind blew around them, brining echoes of their children's stories. They listened to the retelling of their goodbyes, smiling in a bittersweet way. A stronger wind began to blow, bringing one last tale with it. They listened intently once more, hearing their children realize how much talking had helped. And each of them realized the same thing and smiled.

"I'm glad to have friends who will listen." Celebrian said, looking at the others, smiling at them all.

"I think the feeling is mutual." Galedlothia said, laughing softly.

"I completely agree." Thranduil said, putting his arm around his wife. "I completely agree."

The four of them said their goodbyes, going back to their homes, each one feeling better than when they left in the morning. None of them were troubled by their goodbyes anymore. Each held them close to their heart, a memory to cherish, not to lock away. And each of them smiled, knowing that they were blessed, to have friends like they did.

**THE END**

**-sob- Yes, it's actually over now! A big thanks to everyone who reviewed! And I'm sorry that this was shorter than I promised… :'(**


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